An electrical housing, receptacle, housing, or box may have a removable back panel or cover (also known as an “open back” box). When installing a switch, outlet, or other electrical device in an open back box, a ground wire (for example, 10, 12, or 14 AWG copper wire) is often connected from the device (for example, a switch) to the box. Generally, the wire is wrapped around a screw. The ground screw, according to regulations, cannot be used for any purpose other than grounding.
Some conventional boxes come pre-assembled, which typically requires the electrician to disassemble the box in order to complete the wiring. To address this problem, electricians used an “extension ring,” which includes an open back and also means to close the opening, to gain access to the box from the back in order to complete the wiring connections. However, such technique did not address the problem of how to complete the grounding requirements of the national electrical Code (NEC), which requires the ground wire to be attached to the box without leaving any extraneous openings, and without attaching the ground wire to the removable back panel.
In another conventional method, a grounding clip is secured to a side wall of the box. The grounding clip is generally a U-shaped metal clip that applies pressure from opposing ends to attempt to remain secure along the side wall. A ground wire is fed to the grounding clip and a tool, such as a screwdriver, can be used to force the grounding clip and wire onto an edge of a side wall of the box. The grounding clip and wire are then compressed with the tool to avoid interfering with the device (for example, switch) being installed in the box. Due to the pressure exerted on the clip, installation of a grounding clip can be challenging. Also, grounding clips can only be used for termination of a wire, not connecting two ground wires. Additionally, grounding clips may disengage from the box, may be lost or dropped during installation, and are an additional part that must be added to the box.